World Applied Sciences Journal 31 (6): 1096-1103, 2014 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2014 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2014.31.06.415 A Study on Current Status of Municipal Solid Waste Management Practices in Cuddalore Municipality, India B. Abraham Lingan and G. Poyyamoli Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, PIN-605014, India Abstracts: Management of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) continues to remain one of the most neglected major issues in Indian cities due to the rapid urbanization, urban population growth and industrialization. Most of local administrations are directly dumping MSW without any segregation and treatment to the open dumping site, this manner of inappropriate disposal of MSW is become a major threat to the environments and public health in developing countries like India. The study area Cuddalore is a class I city and historical coastal town having a population of about 1.5 lakh and situated 160 km from the capital city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Frequent field visits were conducted to collect the primary data and to understand the MSW management systems in the city, including interaction and interviews with the various officials and workers of the municipality responsible for MSW Management and residents of the city. As like other Indian cities an effective, appropriate, systematic and sustainable waste management system is still non-existent in Cuddalore due to lack of infrastructure, resources and proper management plan. The existing MSW management system in the city is found to be highly ineffective. The city administration is only practicing collection, transportation and open dumping as MSW management activities at present in the city. The aims of this paper to assess current status of municipal waste management scenario and highlighted some suggestions for the efficient, appropriate MSW management which can help any urban local administration responsible for MSW management. Key words: MSW management Municipality Solid waste Landfill Composting Cuddalore INTRODUCTION realizing the need for proper and scientific management of MSW, the Ministry of Environment & Forests notified the The problem of municipal solid waste management Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, (MSWM) has become a global challenge from a local, 2000 (Gazette of India,2000) [1]. The objective of these regional, national environmental and public health issue, rules was to make every municipal authority responsible due to the rapid population, urbanization and for the implementation of various provisions of the rules industrialization. This is due to the improper management within its territorial area in terms of collection, storage, of MSW as reported by several researchers in different segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of cities of developing countries. 90% of the MSW MSW. The present study aims was to analyze the current generated in India is directly disposed on land in an status of MSW management practices and issues unsatisfactory manner. Uncollected MSW can also associated with collection, segregation, transportation forming of stagnant water bodies resulting the breeding and disposal practices in Cuddalore municipal area. ground of water born diseases that include malaria, Waste management system in India: The success of dengue, filariasis, typhoid, dysentery. Direct dumping of the municipal authorities in managing waste is based on untreated waste in rivers, seas and lakes lead to the the availability of financial resources, manpower, good bio-accumulation of toxic substances in the food chain governance and awareness of environmental aspects, through the plants and animals that feed on it. Hence, (Ahmadia M. et al., 2013; Kabbashi N., et al., 2013) [2-3]. Corresponding Author: B. Abraham Lingan, Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, PIN-605 014, India. Mob: +91 8883830835. 1096 World Appl. Sci. J., 31 (6): 1096-1103, 2014 Traditionally in most of developing countries is only Municipality Corporation (CMC) has created greater involves removing MSW from sources of generation and challenges for waste management in the rapidly expanding transport to the open lanfill sites for final disposal, it is town. The MSW problem has become very acute in common practice in most of municipal authorities in India Cuddalore town, where the disposal facilities available are due to shortage of desired level as the systems adopted inadequate in comparison to the generated quantity of are out-dated and ineffective, management weakness, MSW, which is typical of any expanding city in India. deficiency of human and financial resources, improper selection of technology, inadequate coverage and lack of MATERIALS AND METHODS long term planning. A typical MSW management system consists of source reduction, segregation, composting, The Primary data to assess the current status of recycling and landfilling (Tchobanoglous, et al. 1993) [4]. MSW management in Cuddalore municipality was In India, 400 plus Class I city (Urban Local Bodies) with collected using different methods such as direct filed populations of greater than 0.1 million each generating observation, taking photography, informal and semi- about 72 % of the MSW in the country (Zhu, et al. 2008) structured interviews with responsible persons and focus [5]. The daily per capita generation of municipal solid group discussions were conducted and data collected waste in India ranges from about 100 g in small towns to over the period of one year between 2008 -2010. 500 g in large towns and per capita MSW generated is annually estimated to increase at a rate of 1% - 1.33% RESULTS AND DISCUSSION while the estimated urban population growth is around 3.5% per annum (Shekdar, 1999) [6]. In this condition more Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Quantity in than 25% of the MSW is not collected at all and 70% of Cuddalore: Managing Municipal Solid waste in Cuddalore the Indian cities are doing improper MSW management city is handled by Cuddalore Municipal Corporation as due to lack proper facilities to collection, transport and similar in other Indian towns and cities. The major sources Scientific landfills (NEERI 1999) [7]. Improper management of waste include waste from Residence, Commercial of MSW has been reported by several researchers in establishments, Institutions, Markets and health care different cities of developing countries leads to several centers, the detailed of MSW generation from different problems that impair health and ultimately result in sources with percentage is presented in Fig. 1. The economic, environmental and biological losses (Sharholy, majority of daily waste is produced from the residential et al. 2008; Imam et al., 2008; Chung et al., 2008) [8-10]. sector (65%) and the rest of the sources like, Institutional, Visvanathan (2002) [11] has intensively examined Solid Industrial, Commercial, Construction and demolition and Waste Management issues in Asian Perspectives. Hence, Street cleaning have contributed to 45 %. the municipal administrations in India therefore face the The quantity of the MSW generation in Cuddalore challenge of strengthen their available infrastructure, municipality rapidly increased in last few decades, financial and human resources for effective management according to the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New and scientific disposal of MSW. Delhi, The CMC generated 65 MT per day with average per capita generation of 401gms pc/day in 1999, it was Background Information about the City: Cuddalore Town estimated 75 MT/day in during 2001 and 100.5 MT/day (Fig. 1) is the Headquarters of the Cuddalore Taluk and during 2011 with the population 158634 and 173,361 the Cuddalore District. It is located at the estuary of rivers respectively. Hence from 2001 to 2011 the total municipal Gadilam and Pennayar on Bay of Bengal. The town is at a solid waste generated has increased by 50 % and the distance of 200 Kms from South of Chennai, 23 Km South population growth of 9.28 % in the same period. The per of Puducherry and 44 Kms North of Chidambaram. capita MSW generation in class I cities ranges from 0.1 to The latitude and longitude are 11.75°N and 79.75°E 0.929 kg/day and the average per capita generation is respectively. As per 2011 censes the town had population 0.376 kg/person/day (CPCB, 2013) [12]. of 173,361 and floating Population of about 20,000. The Cuddalore town covers a total area of 27.69 km2 and is History of the Cuddalore Municipal Corporation: The divided in to 8 sanitary division and 45 political wards. municipality of Cuddalore was constituted under the The urbanization and industrialization has made rapid Towns Improvement Act X during the year of 1865 changes and expanding residential areas. The lack of (Georgia, 1996) [13] comprising a revenue village. It has adequate collection and treatment of MSW by Cuddalore been upgraded Special Grade Municipality with effect 1097 World Appl. Sci. J., 31 (6): 1096-1103, 2014 Fig. 2: Fig. 1: is subject to change in respective of Municipal authority. from 9th May 1993 as per the G.O.No.651 and has been MSW from the main market (Panpari Market), bus stand again upgraded as a Special Grade Municipality with and Uzavar Santhai (Farmer’s market) were regularly effect from December 2008 as per the G.O.No.237. Initially collected by private sectors, Municipality was placed Cuddalore was practically divided into four parts viz. 42 metal dustbins in the city and used to transport